FRIDAY, 8:25am: The Broncos have officially announced the Harris signing (via Twitter).
THURSDAY, 2:42pm: In the wake of news of Ryan Clady‘s torn ACL, the Broncos have moved quickly to secure some veteran depth, agreeing to terms with free agent tackle Ryan Harris, according to Adam Schefter and Jeff Legwold of ESPN.com (Twitter link). Mike Klis of the Denver Post tweeted earlier this afternoon that the club would likely show interest in Harris.
Harris, who turned 30 earlier this offseason, was originally selected by the Broncos in the third round of the 2007 draft, and spent several seasons with the team before joining Gary Kubiak‘s Texans. So he has plenty of history with the Broncos’ organization and coaching staff. Most recently, Harris spent the 2014 season in Kansas City, where he started 15 games for the Chiefs.
Despite the fact that he hadn’t been a regular starter since 2010, Harris played reasonably well at right tackle for the Chiefs last season, ranking 38th out of 84 qualified tackles, according to Pro Football Focus’ grades (subscription required). PFF graded Harris slightly better as a run blocker than a pass blocker in his 980 offensive snaps.
In Denver, Harris will join a group of offensive tackles competing for playing time on both the right and left sides of the line. With Clady sidelined, neither position is set in stone, and Harris figures to be in the mix along with Chris Clark, Michael Schofield, and Ty Sambrailo, among others.
Details of Harris’ contract have yet to be reported, but given how quickly it came together, and how late in the offseason it is, I’d expect a one-year, minimum salary pact.